U.S. patent number 7,674,030 [Application Number 11/438,853] was granted by the patent office on 2010-03-09 for light source for even illumination of a light guide.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.. Invention is credited to Tong Fatt Chew, Thye Linn Mok, Fook Chuin Ng, Siew It Pang, Ju Chin Poh, Sundar Natarajan Yogan.
United States Patent |
7,674,030 |
Poh , et al. |
March 9, 2010 |
Light source for even illumination of a light guide
Abstract
A lighting system is described. One embodiment of the lighting
system includes a light guide, a first lighting device, and a
second lighting device. The light guide receives light along a
transmission interface. The first lighting device has a first
plurality of lighting elements coupled to a first substrate between
a first pair of reflector walls. The first substrate and the first
pair of reflector walls define a first exposed side of the first
lighting device. The second lighting device has a second plurality
of lighting elements coupled to a second substrate between a second
pair of reflector walls. The second substrate and the second pair
of reflector walls define a second exposed side of the second
lighting device configured to match the first exposed side of the
first lighting device. Using lighting devices without sidewalls
illuminates a diffusion panel so that there are no dark spots.
Inventors: |
Poh; Ju Chin (Penang,
MY), Mok; Thye Linn (Penang, MY), Yogan;
Sundar Natarajan (Penang, MY), Chew; Tong Fatt
(Penang, MY), Ng; Fook Chuin (Penang, MY),
Pang; Siew It (Penang, MY) |
Assignee: |
Avago Technologies General IP
(Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (Singapore, SG)
|
Family
ID: |
38749304 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/438,853 |
Filed: |
May 23, 2006 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20070274079 A1 |
Nov 29, 2007 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
362/613; 362/800;
362/628; 362/341; 362/330 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B
6/0031 (20130101); G02B 6/0073 (20130101); G02B
6/0068 (20130101); Y10S 362/80 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F21V
7/04 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;362/613,249,800,628,330,335,600-634,612,631,97.3,219,249.01,249.02 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: O'Shea; Sandra L.
Assistant Examiner: McMillan; Jessica L
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A lighting system comprising: a light guide to receive light
along a transmission interface; a first lighting device having a
first plurality of lighting elements coupled to a first substrate
between a first pair of reflector walls, wherein the first
substrate and the first pair of reflector walls define a first
exposed side of the first lighting device; a second lighting device
having a second plurality of lighting elements coupled to a second
substrate between a second pair of reflector walls, wherein the
second substrate and the second pair of reflector walls define a
second exposed side of the second lighting device configured to
match the first exposed side of the first lighting device; and a
notch at a junction of the first and second substrates, wherein the
notch is on the bottom of the first and second substrates, and
wherein the first and second substrates are coupled together at the
notch aligned with a separator plate to facilitate separation of
the first and second lighting devices of a segmented light
strip.
2. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the first and second
pluralities of lighting elements are configured to provide the
light to the transmission interface of the light guide in a pattern
exclusive of dark spots within the light guide.
3. The lighting system of claim 1 further comprising: a first
encapsulant to encapsulate the first plurality of lighting elements
between the first pair of reflector walls; and a second encapsulant
to encapsulate the second plurality of lighting elements between
the second pair of reflector walls.
4. The lighting system of claim 3 wherein the separator plate is
between the first and second encapsulants of the first and second
lighting devices to isolate the first encapsulant of the first
lighting device from the second encapsulant of the second lighting
device.
5. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the first and second
pluralities of lighting elements comprise a plurality of light
emitting diode (LED) chips coupled to a corresponding plurality of
conductive mounting plates on the first and second substrates, each
of the plurality of LED chips having a bonding wire coupled to a
corresponding plurality of conductive bonding plates.
6. The lighting system of claim 1 further comprising a third
lighting device having a third plurality of lighting elements
coupled to a third substrate between a third pair of reflector
walls, wherein the third substrate and the third pair of reflector
walls define a third exposed side of the third lighting device
configured to match a fourth exposed side of the second lighting
device opposite the second exposed side of the second lighting
device.
7. A lighting device comprising: a substrate; a lighting element
coupled to the substrate to emit light; a first reflector wall
coupled substantially perpendicular to the substrate adjacent to
the lighting element; and a second reflector wall coupled
substantially perpendicular to the substrate adjacent to the
lighting element and opposite the first reflector wall, wherein the
first and second reflector walls define an element channel in which
the lighting element is coupled to the substrate, and further
define a first channel opening between adjacent ends of the first
and second reflector walls at a first end of the substrate, wherein
the lighting element is located a distance from the first channel
opening, wherein the distance is approximately equal to one-half of
a distance between the lighting element and another lighting
element.
8. The lighting device of claim 7 wherein the first and second
reflector walls farther define a second channel opening adjacent to
the substrate between other adjacent ends of the first and second
reflector walls at a second end of the substrate.
9. The lighting device of claim 8 further comprising an encapsulant
to encapsulate the lighting element between the first and second
reflector walls, wherein the encapsulant occupies the first channel
opening at the adjacent ends and the second channel opening at the
other adjacent ends of the first and second reflector walls.
10. The lighting device of claim 8 further comprising a first
separator plate at the first channel opening and a second separator
plate at the second channel opening.
11. The lighting device of claim 7 wherein the first reflector wall
is freestanding in relation to the second reflector wall, and the
first and second reflector walls are coupled via the substrate.
12. The lighting device of claim 7 wherein the lighting element
comprises a light emitting diode (LED) and the substrate comprises
a metal-coated plastic substrate.
13. A light strip comprising: a substrate; a plurality of lighting
elements coupled to the substrate; a pair of reflector walls
coupled to the substrate, wherein the reflector walls are on
opposite sides of the plurality of lighting element; and a
plurality of notches in the substrate to define a segmented light
strip, wherein at least one notch is aligned with at least one
separator plate, wherein the segmented light strip comprises a
plurality of lighting devices, each lighting device having at least
one lighting element.
14. The light strip of claim 13 further comprising an encapsulant
to encapsulate the plurality of lighting elements, wherein the
separator plate separates the encapsulant at a junction between the
adjacent lighting devices.
15. The light strip of claim 13 wherein the plurality of lighting
elements are equally spaced along the segmented light strip and the
plurality of notches are located between the lighting elements on
an opposite side of the substrate.
16. The light strip of claim 13 wherein the segmented light strip
comprises at least three lighting devices.
17. The light strip of claim 13 wherein at least two of the
plurality of lighting devices have different lengths and an unequal
number of lighting elements.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Most liquid crystal display (LCD) panels use backlighting to
provide a bright image to the viewer. Backlighting is typically
provided by diffusing white light from a fluorescent light source
or several light emitting diode (LED) sources. To provide evenly
distributed backlighting, LCD panels have a diffusion panel that
receives the light along one edge of the panel and diffuses the
light throughout the face of the diffusion panel. The white light
may be directly generated by the fluorescent light source or the
LEDs. However, colored LEDs emitting such colors as red, green, and
blue (RGB) are also used in some applications. Where colored LEDs
are used, the different colors are mixed to create the white
light.
In applications that use LEDs, several LEDs typically are mounted
on a single substrate. The LEDs and substrate are referred to as an
LED device. Each LED device has reflector walls and sidewalls which
surround the LEDs. Multiple LED devices are lined up along the edge
of the diffusion panel. However, the sidewalls of the LED devices
create a significant separation distance between the LEDs of
adjacent LED devices. This separation due to the sidewalls creates
dark spots on the diffusion panel where the light transmitted from
the LEDs does not overlap. These dark spots are noticeable to a
viewer because the diffusion panel does not provide evenly
distributed backlighting. Although the LED devices may be moved
farther away from the diffusion panel to allow the light to spread
out more before transmitting into the diffusion panel, such
increased distance would increase the cost of manufacturing and
require larger package dimensions.
In view of this, what is needed is a light distribution solution to
overcome the problems of dark spots on the diffusion panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A lighting system is described. One embodiment of the lighting
system includes a light guide, a first lighting device, and a
second lighting device. The light guide receives light along a
transmission interface. The first lighting device has a first
plurality of lighting elements coupled to a first substrate between
a first pair of reflector walls. The first substrate and the first
pair of reflector walls define a first exposed side of the first
lighting device. The second lighting device has a second plurality
of lighting elements coupled to a second substrate between a second
pair of reflector walls. The second substrate and the second pair
of reflector walls define a second exposed side of the second
lighting device. The second exposed side of the second lighting
device is configured to match the first exposed side of the first
lighting device. By providing lighting devices without sidewalls,
the lighting elements of adjacent lighting devices may be located
close to one another so that there are no dark spots on the
diffusion panel.
A lighting device is also described. One embodiment of the lighting
device includes a substrate, a lighting element coupled to the
substrate to emit light, a first reflector wall coupled
substantially perpendicular to the substrate adjacent to the
lighting element, and a second reflector wall coupled substantially
perpendicular to the substrate adjacent to the lighting element.
The second reflector wall is located opposite the first reflector
wall so that the first and second reflector walls define an element
channel in which the lighting element is coupled to the substrate.
The first and second reflector walls further define a first channel
opening between adjacent ends of the first and second reflector
walls at a first end of the substrate.
A method for transmitting light into a light guide without dark
spots is also described. One embodiment of the method includes
providing a first lighting device having a first channel opening,
providing a second lighting device having a second channel opening,
and aligning the first channel opening of the first lighting device
with the second channel opening of the second lighting device to
transmit the light through substantially all of a transmission
interface of the light guide. The first lighting device has a first
lighting element and a first pair of reflective walls coupled to a
first substrate. The first pair of reflective walls define the
first channel opening. The second lighting device has a second
lighting element and a second pair of reflective walls coupled to a
second substrate. The second substrate and the second pair of
reflective walls define the second channel opening.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent from the following detailed description, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrated by way of
example of the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 depicts a conventional light system which uses LED devices
having sidewalls resulting in dark spots on the light guide
plate.
FIG. 2 depicts a lengthwise cross-section of a conventional LED
device.
FIG. 3 depicts a side cross-section of a conventional LED
device.
FIG. 4 depicts a lengthwise cross-section of an embodiment of a LED
device without sidewalls.
FIG. 5 depicts a side cross-section of the LED device of FIG.
4.
FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment of a segmented light strip having
multiple LED devices.
FIG. 7 depicts one embodiment of the segmented light strip of FIG.
6 having one of the LED devices separated from the remaining LED
devices.
FIG. 8 depicts one embodiment of a light system which uses a
segmented light strip to illuminate a light guide plate without
dark spots on the light guide plate.
FIG. 9 depicts a top view of one embodiment of a LED device.
FIG. 10 depicts a perspective view of one embodiment of a LED
device without sidewalls.
FIG. 11 depicts one embodiment of a light system which uses a strip
light source.
FIG. 12 is a process flow diagram of a light method which may be
used in conjunction with the light system.
FIG. 13 is a process flow diagram of a segmentation method which
may be used in conjunction with a segmented light strip.
Throughout the description, similar reference numbers may be used
to identify similar elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 depicts a conventional light system 10 which uses LED
devices 15 having sidewalls resulting in dark spots 20 on the light
guide plate 25. One example of a light guide plate 25 is a
diffusion panel such as may be used in a liquid crystal display
(LCD) panel. White or colored light from several light emitting
diodes (LEDs) is transmitted into the light guide plate 25. The
LEDs are mounted in a row on multiple LED devices 15. Conventional
LED devices 15 are shown and described in more detail with
reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
The distance between adjacent LED devices 15 is referred to as
pitch 30. The pitch 30 between the LED devices 15 at least
partially determines the light pattern within the light guide plate
25. Where conventional LED devices 15 with sidewalls (i.e., the
structural walls separating the LED dice, or chips, on adjacent LED
devices 15) are used, the pitch 30 results in dark spots 20 on the
light guide plate 25. For example, using conventional LED devices
15 with sidewalls results in dark spots 20 near the transmission
interface 35 (i.e., edge) of a diffusion panel 25. Ideally, the
diffusion panel 25 would evenly diffuse the light from the LEDs
throughout the surface of the diffusion panel 25 to provide an even
backlight for an LCD panel. However, the dark spots 20 resulting
from the pitch 30 of the LED devices 15 may be visible to the
user.
To reduce the appearance of dark spots 20 on the LCD panel, the LCD
panel may be oversized so that the dark spots 30 are within a
"black out" area not visible to the viewer. However, oversizing the
LCD panel increases the cost and size of the LCD panel.
Alternatively, the effective area of the LCD panel may be reduced,
but reducing the effective area of the LCD panel would result in
non-standard display ratios (i.e., display ratios other than 4:3,
16:9, etc.).
FIG. 2 depicts a lengthwise cross-section of a conventional LED
device 15. The conventional LED device 15 includes several LEDs 40
(also referred to as LED chips or LED dice). The LEDs 40 are
mounted on a substrate 45 such as a metal-coated plastic substrate.
Bonding wires 50 are used to bond the LEDs 40 to the substrate 45.
Reflector walls 55 and sidewalls 60 are also formed on or
integrally with the substrate 45. The substrate 45, reflector walls
55, and sidewalls 60 form a dish-like cavity, and the LEDs 40 are
mounted to the substrate 45 within the cavity. In this way, light
from the LEDs 40 is emitted in a direction generally outward from
the cavity. The reflector walls 55 may have a reflective surface so
that light incident on the reflector walls 55 is reflected out of
the cavity. Similarly, the sidewalls 60 may have reflective
surfaces to reflect light out of the cavity.
FIG. 3 depicts a side cross-section of a conventional LED device
15. The side cross-section of the conventional LED device 15
illustrates the LED 40, bonding wire 50, substrate 40, reflector
walls 55, and sidewalls 60. The use of sidewalls 60 forces LEDs 40
from adjacent LED devices 15 to be separated by a significant
distance, or pitch 30, approximately equal to the thickness of two
sidewalls 60. This pitch 30 results in dark spots 20 on a light
guide plate 25 when the LED devices 15 are lined up lengthwise
(i.e., sidewall-to-sidewall) at the transmission interface 35 of
the light guide plate 25. The dark spots 20 cause visible
distortions on an LCD panel.
FIG. 4 depicts a lengthwise cross-section of an embodiment of a LED
device 100 without sidewalls. FIG. 5 depicts a side cross-section
of the LED device of FIG. 4. The LED device 100 includes a
substrate 102 with multiple LEDs 104 mounted on the substrate 102.
Bonding wires 106 are used to bond the LEDs 104 to the substrate
102. The LED device 100 also includes reflector walls 108 on
opposite sides of the LEDs 104. In one embodiment, the reflector
walls 108 extend the length of the substrate 102. Also, the
reflector walls 108 may have a reflective coating such as a metal
coating to facilitate reflections of light from the LEDs 104 into a
light guide plate.
The LED device 100 differs in at least one aspect from the
conventional LED device because the LED device 100 does not include
sidewalls at the ends of the substrate 102. In one embodiment, the
LED device 100 does not include any sidewalls, although other
embodiments may include a sidewall at one end. As a result of
excluding the sidewalls, the substrate 102 and reflector walls 108
do not form a dish-like cavity, but rather define a "U" shaped
element channel with a channel opening 110 at one or both ends of
the element channel. The LEDs 104 or other lighting elements are
mounted on the substrate 102 within the element channel. The
channel openings 110 are approximately where conventional sidewalls
would be located.
Using embodiments of the LED device 100 with channel openings 110
rather than sidewalls may have advantages compared to conventional
LED devices with sidewalls. For example, some embodiments of the
LED device 100 may spread out the LEDs 104 on the substrate 102 so
that they are more evenly distributed along the length of the
substrate 102. In one embodiment, the distance from an end LED 104
(i.e., an LED 104 near a channel opening) to an end of the
substrate 102 may be approximately the same as the distance between
two adjacent LEDs 104 on the substrate 102. This distribution
minimizes or eliminates the pitch between adjacent LED devices 100.
In another example, the LED device 100 may accommodate more LEDs
104 on the substrate 102 because of the available surface area of
the substrate 102 where conventional sidewalls otherwise might be
located. Other embodiments may have additional or different
advantages compared to conventional LED devices.
FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment of a segmented light strip 120 having
multiple LED devices 104. The multiple LED devices 104 may be
mounted on a common substrate 102 as shown. For convenience, the
LED devices 104 on either end of the segmented light strip 120 are
designated as end LED devices 122. Similarly, the LED devices 104
between the end LED devices 122 are designated as middle LED
devices 124. In one embodiment, the end LED devices 122 and middle
LED devices 124 may be identical in structure, although other
embodiments may have slight variations between the end LED devices
122 and middle LED devices 124. For example, the end LED devices
122 may be different from the middle LED devices 124 in order to
facilitate manufacturing of the segmented light strip 120.
In one embodiment, the segmented light strip 120 includes a
substrate 102 with notches 126 between adjacent LED devices 100. In
fact, the notches 126 may delineate the LED devices 100 of the
segmented light strip 120. Although the LED devices 100 of the
segmented light strip 120 are shown having equal lengths and an
equal number of LEDs 104 on each LED device 100, other embodiments
may have other numbers of LED devices 100 with various lengths or
different numbers of LEDs 104.
In another embodiment, the segmented light strip 120 also includes
separation plates 128 between adjacent LED devices 100.
Additionally, the segmented light strip 120 may include separation
plates 128 at one or both ends of the segmented light strip 120.
The separation plates 128 may be metal, plastic, or another
material. In one embodiment, the separation plates 128 facilitate
separation of adjacent LED devices 100 within the segmented light
strip 120. In another embodiment, the separation plates 128 may
facilitate encapsulating the LEDs 104 within an encapsulant between
the reflector walls 108. The separation plates 128 may be fixed
within the segmented light strip 120 or may be removeable from the
segmented light strip 120.
FIG. 7 depicts one embodiment of the segmented light strip 120 of
FIG. 6 having one of the LED devices 100 separated from the
remaining LED devices 100. In particular, an end LED device 122 is
separated from the adjacent middle LED device 124. To facilitate
the separation of the end LED device 122, the separation plate 128
between the end LED device 122 and the adjacent middle LED device
124 may be removed. Additionally, the substrate 102 may be broken,
sawed, cut, or otherwise severed at the notch 126 between the end
LED device 122 and the adjacent middle LED device 124. Separating
LED devices 100 within the segmented light strip 120 may allow a
portion of the segmented light strip 120 to be matched in length to
a particular light guide plate.
FIG. 8 depicts one embodiment of a light system 140 which uses a
segmented light strip 120 to illuminate a light guide plate 142
without dark spots 144 on the light guide plate 142. The segmented
light strip 120 is located and oriented to propagate light into the
light guide plate 142 through a transmission interface 146 of the
light guide plate 142. In the illustrated embodiment, there are no
dark spots 144 within the light guide plate 142. Although there may
be some dark spots 144 outside of the light guide plate 144 between
adjacent LED devices 100, other embodiments of the segmented light
strip 120 may minimize or eliminate such dark spots 144. For
example, the occurrence of dark spots 144 may be affected by the
distance between the LEDs 104 of adjacent LED devices 100. In one
embodiment, the distance between LEDs 104 of adjacent LED devices
100 may be approximately the same as the distance between adjacent
LEDs 104 on a single LED device 100. For example, the distance
between an LED 104 and the adjacent edge (or notch 126) of the
corresponding LED device 100 may be about one-half of the distance
between adjacent LEDs 104 on a single LED device 100. In this way,
the total distance between adjacent LEDs 104 on adjacent LED
devices 100 may be about the same as the distance between adjacent
LEDs 104 on the same LED device 100.
In one embodiment, the segmented light strip 120 has a continuous,
common substrate 102 that is notched to allow individual LED
devices 100 to be separated from the other LED devices 100. In an
alternative embodiment, the segmented light strip 120 may include
several individual LED devices 100, each having an individual
substrate 120. In other words, individual LED devices 100 may be
arranged to form a segmented light strip 120 within the light
system 140.
FIG. 9 depicts a top view 160 of one embodiment of a LED device
100. In particular, the top view 160 illustrates the substrate 102
and LEDs 104 between the reflective walls 108 (although the
reflective walls 108 are not shown). In one embodiment, the
substrate 102 is a metal-coated plastic substrate. The substrate
102 may have multiple metal coatings which may be used to bond
different electrical connections. The metal coatings may be gold
(Au), silver (Ag), or another type of metal bonding material.
Alternatively, the substrate 102 may use a non-metallic bonding
material. In one embodiment, the substrate 102 includes several
mounting plates 162 and several corresponding bonding plates 164.
In one embodiment, the LEDs 104 are mounted to the mounting plates
162, and the bonding wires 106 are bonded to the bonding plates
164.
FIG. 10 depicts a perspective view 180 of one embodiment of a LED
device 100 without sidewalls. The perspective view 180 illustrates
multiple LEDs 104 mounted on and bonded to a substrate 102.
Reflector walls 108 extend along the length of the substrate 102 on
either side of the substrate 102 to form an element channel in
which the LEDs 104 are mounted. The element channel has channel
openings 110 at both ends where the element channel is exposed
because there are no sidewalls at the ends of the substrate 102.
The perspective view 180 also illustrates an encapsulant 182 which
may be used to protect the LEDs 104 and bonding wires 106. In one
embodiment, the encapsulant 182 may be silicone or another type of
translucent encapsulant which allows the light from the LEDs 104 to
propagate into the light guide plate 142.
FIG. 11 depicts one embodiment of a light system 190 which uses a
strip light source 192. The light system 190 is similar to the
light system 140 of FIG. 8, except the light system 190 uses a
strip light source 192 that is not segmented. The strip light
source 192 is located and oriented to propagate light through the
transmission interface 146 into the light guide plate 142. By using
a strip light source 192 which is approximately the same length as
the transmission interface 146 of the light guide plate 142, the
light guide plate 142 may diffuse the light without visible dark
spots.
FIG. 12 is a process flow diagram of a light method 200 which may
be used in conjunction with the light system 140. At block 202, a
first LED lighting device 100 is provided. The first LED lighting
device 100 has a first channel opening 110 at one end of the
corresponding substrate 102. At block 204, a second LED lighting
device 100 is provided. The second LED lighting device 100 has a
second channel opening 110 at one end of the corresponding
substrate 102. In one embodiment, the first and second LED devices
100 may be on a single, common substrate 102. Alternatively, the
first and second LED devices 100 may have separate substrates 102.
At block 206, the first channel opening 110 of the first LED device
100 is aligned with the second channel opening 110 of the second
LED device 100. Aligning the first and second channel openings 110
may occur at the fabrication stage where the first and second LED
devices 100 are fabricated in a single segmented light strip 120
with a common substrate 102. Alternatively, the first and second
channel openings 110 may be aligned at an assembly stage when the
LCD panel is assembled. At block 208, the LEDs 104 transmit light
from the first and second LED lighting devices 100 into the light
guide plate 142. The light is transmitted through substantially all
of the transmission interface 146 of the light guide plate 142. In
this manner, there are no dark spots in the light guide plate 142
because light is transmitted through substantially all of the
transmission interface 146. In contrast, if light were not
transmitted through some areas of the transmission interface 146,
for example where light from adjacent LED devices 100 does not
overlap, then dark spots 144 may appear at the locations where
light is not propagated through the transmission interface 146.
FIG. 13 is a process flow diagram of a segmentation method 220
which may be used in conjunction with a segmented light strip 140.
In particular, the segmentation method 220 applies to a segmented
light strip 140 having a common substrate 102 for multiple LED
devices 100. At block 222, a segmented light strip 120 is provided.
The segmented light strip 120 includes a plurality of lighting
device segments such as the LED devices 100. At block 224, a
separator plate 128 is removed from between the encapsulant 182 of
two of the lighting device segments. At block 226, the lighting
device segments are separated at a separation notch 126 in the
substrate at a junction between the two lighting device segments.
One example of a separated LED device 100 is shown and described in
more detail with reference to FIG. 7.
Although the operations of the method(s) herein are shown and
described in a particular order, the order of the operations of
each method may be altered so that certain operations may be
performed in an inverse order or so that certain operations may be
performed, at least in part, concurrently with other operations. In
another embodiment, instructions or sub-operations of distinct
operations may be implemented in an intermittent and/or alternating
manner.
Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described
and illustrated, the invention is not to be limited to the specific
forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. The
scope of the invention is to be defined by the claims appended
hereto and their equivalents.
* * * * *